Mediation Relationships Among Gender, Spatial Ability, Math Anxiety, and Math Achievement

摘要

In this review, findings from studies investigating gender differences in spatial ability, math anxiety, and math achievement, the relationship between spatial ability and math anxiety, between spatial ability and math achievement, and between math anxiety and math achievement are synthesized. As a result of this synthesis, a sequential mediation model that allows simultaneous testing of two mediational relationships has been derived. Within this model, paths from gender to spatial ability, from spatial ability to math anxiety, and from math anxiety to math achievement are more strongly supported by prior studies than the paths from gender to math anxiety, from gender to math achievement, and from math achievement to math anxiety.